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Financial losses from climate-related hazards cost our nation billions of dollars every year. Taking action to build resilience ahead of a hazard can improve your current quality of life and reduce costs related to future hazards.

A Closer Look…

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These two graphs show two levels of resilience.

On the left, a community asset or service operates at a steady state (business as usual). When a hazard occurs—for instance, a flood or a fire—the level of service the asset can provide drops. If the service is damaged so severely that its capacity drops below a tipping point—for example, a total loss of essential equipment—the service may not recover completely.

On the right, instead of business-as-usual, actions are taken to improve the community asset or service before a hazard occurs. From this higher baseline, the same hazard would still cause a drop in service and require a period of recovery, but the level of service eventually returns to its pre-hazard level.
 

The Toolkit also helps communities come up with potential solutions to their climate-related issues. They can learn from others' experiences through the Options Database, Case Studies, and example climate resilience plans published by cities, councils of governments, Tribes, and states across the country.

View the Popular Resources page to see the full range of content in the Toolkit.

Community Champions

Committed leaders who are concerned about climate and know how to get things done in their communities.

Community champions usually have a track record of getting things done. They can use the steps as a roadmap to help them manage a resilience-building process. 

Planners

Consultants or policymakers who develop and update official planning documents.

Most municipalities, counties, and states are required to prepare and submit regular updates to official planning documents. Leveraging community engagements for preparing these documents can be an efficient way to integrate climate concerns into future plans.

Conservation Groups

People who work together to protect a natural system or historic structure.

Communities often coalesce around an asset they want to protect. The first step for these groups is to explore the weather and climate-related hazards that could impact that asset.

Government Champions

Individuals who are elected, appointed, or employed by a government entity to address sustainability or develop plans such as a climate action plan or a hazard mitigation plan.

Government champions work for the people their offices represent. Champions within the government use the steps to lead a process to protect people and assets from climate-related hazards. 

Climate-service practitioners

Individuals or groups who work with communities—often as consultants—to assess and address climate-related vulnerability and risk.

Practitioners have expertise in climate and in risk management; they can help a community document its climate-related hazards and produce a climate action plan. Learn more in Implementing the Steps to Resilience: A Practitioner's Guide »